Fuel plate for vulcanizing purposes



y My zo, 1937.

P. VAN CLEEF FUEL PLATE FOR VULCANIZING PURPOSES Filed July l5, 1956 Patented July 20, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FUEL PLATE FR VULCANIZING PURPOSES Application July 15, 1936, Serial No. 90,705

3 Claims.

The present invention relates generally to fuel plates for use in vulcanizfing patches on punctured tubes for pneumatic tires. More particularly the invention relates to that type of fuel plate which is formed of a piece of strawboard with a filling 5 of combustibie matter and is shaped to et within a cup-shaped metallic platen which has on the bottom face thereof a rubber patch with vulcanizing material therein and is adapted when placed under clamping pressure with the patch between 1t and the punctured portion of a tube and after lighting or firing of the plate to transmit heat from the plate to the patch for vulcanizing purposes.

In order to facilitate lighting or ignition of a fuel plate of this type it has heretofore been proposed either to staple or otherwise secure a small fuse to the central portion of the plate or to form a U-shaped incision in the plate so that the portion of the plate within the incision may be pryed or forced upwards by a knife or like instrument in order to provide an upstanding tab to which a match may be applied for lighting purposes. In practice it has been found that although a fuse and tab both serve to facilitate lighting or ignition of the plate neither is efficient for the reason that when a match is applied thereto for plate igniting purposes the plate is ignited at one point only and combustion of the remainder of the plate takes place gradually with the result that the various portions of the platen with which the plate is used are heated nonuniformly and the patch under the platen is not properly or uniformly vulcanized throughout.

'I'he stapled fuse is further objectionable because the staple for anchoring the fuse on the central portion of the plate precludes the possibility of stacking the plate with other plates of like character in connection with shipping or packing. An

0 incision formed tab is also objectionable for the reason that it necessitates the use of a knife or other instrument in prying or forcing it into an upstanding position and is likely to be broken away from the remainder of the plate due to the 45 frailty of the strawboard of which the plate is formed.

One object of the present invention is to provide a fuel plate of the type under consideration which is more efficient than previously designed 50 plates for the same purpose by reason of the fact that it includes improved and novel igniting means whereby when a lighted match is applied thereto the side portions of the plate as well as the central part are ignited substantiallyinstantaneously 515 with the result that the burning Spreads quickly over the entire plate and the plate burns uniformly and heats the platen with which it is used so evenly or uniformly that proper and efficient vulcanization of the patch under the platen is effected.

Another object of the invention is to provide a fuel plate in which the igniting means therefor consists of a cord or string which is impregnated with substantially instantaneously ignitible matter and extends from one side edge of the plate to the other.

A further object of the invention is to provide a fuel disk of the last mentioned character in which the cord or string which is impregnated with substantially instantaneously ignitible matter and serves as the lighting or igniting means for the plate is embedded in a groove so that it is subf stantially flush with the top face of the plate and hence permits the plate to be stacked with plates of like character in connection with shipping or packing.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a fuel plate which is generally of new and improved construction and may be manufactured at a low and reasonable cost.

Other objects of the invention and the various advantages and characteristics of the present invention will be apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description.

The invention consists in the several novel features'which are hereinafter set forth and are more particularly defined by claims at the conclusion hereof.

In the drawing which accompanies and forms a part of this specification or disclosure and in which like numerals of reference denote corresponding parts throughout the several views:

Figure 1 is a perspective showing a fuel plate embodying the invention in place in a cup-shaped metallic platen; 40

Figure 2 is a perspective showing the compressed fuel plate without the platen;

Figure 3 is a longitudinal section of the plate showing the character of the groove in the plate and the manner in which the impregnated cord or string which constitutes the igniting means is mounted in the groove so that the top portion thereof is substantially flush with the top face of the plate;

Figure 4 is a bottom or inverted plan view of the platen of Figure 1; and

Figure 5 is a transverse sectional View of the plate and platen illustrating the manner in which the impregnated cord operates when lighted to ignite substantially instantaneously the side and central portions of the plate and the platen serves to transmit heat from the plate to a patch therebeneath.

The fuel plate which is shown in the drawing constitutes the preferred embodiment of the invention and is` adapted for use with a metallic platen E in vulcanizing a patch 'i onto a punctured. inner tube t for a pneumatic tire.V The platen B is cup-shaped and consists of a circular bottom 8 and a cylindrical side wall 9. The latter is formed integrally with, `and extends upwardly from, the marginal part of the bottom 8 and serves to retain the fuel plate in seated relation on the top face of the platen bottom 8. The patch l is applied to the bottom face of the platen bottom 8 and is formed of uncured rubber with a vulcanizing agent therein. The platen 6 is adapted to be clamped in any suitable manner with the patch 'i between it and the punctured portion of the tube t and serves after lighting or ignition of the plate to conduct heat from the plate to the patch for vulcanizing purposes.

The fuel plate has the reference numeral II applied thereto. It is adapted when ignited to heat the patch 1 to vulcanizing temperature and is formed of a piece of strawboard or like material. The ends of the plate are rounded or curved and are adapted when the plate is: placed within the platen 6 to engage frictionally the inner face of the cylindrical side wall 9 of the platen and to hold the plate II in place with the bottom face thereof in contact or engagement with the top face of the platen bottom 8. The sides of the fuel plate II are flat and, as shown in Figures 1, 2 and 4 are spaced apart a distance less than the diameter of the side Wall of the platen. As a result of this there are segmental shaped spaces I0 between the sides of the plate and the contiguous or adjacent portions of the platen side wall when the plate is mounted in place in the platen. The fuel plate II, in order to render it readily combustible, has a filling of combustible matter. This filling is preferably formed by immersing the plate II in a solution composed of sodium nitrate, cane sugar and water, until it is saturated and then permitting the plate to dry. Preferably the various: ingredients of the solution are used in the following proportions:

Sodium nitrate pounds r 200 Cane sugar -pounds 114 Water gal1ons 35 The fuel plate with the aforementioned filling is readily combustible and when ignited creates sufficient heat to bring the patch i to the proper vulcanizing temperature as heretofore disclosed.

In order readily to effect substantially instantaneous ignition of the fuel plate a fuse I2 is provided. This fuse is formed of cord or string and, as shown in the drawing, extends from one side edge of the plate to the other and its` Within a transverse groove I3 in the top face of the plate II thickness of the cord formed fuse with the result that the top portion of the fuse is flush with the top face cf the plate. The fuse I2 is rendered substantially instantaneously ignitable by saturating it with a solution composed of sodium nitrate, cane sugar and water. Preferably these three ingredients are used in the following proportions:

Parts by weight Sodium nitrate 2 Cane sugar 1 Water 3 The groove corresponds in depth to the` The cord formed fuse after being saturated with the aforementioned solution is permitted to dry and then pressed into the groove I3 in the top face of the plate. The groove: is of such Width that the fuse when pressed therein remains firmly in place. Il'ie groove extends from one sidey edge of the fuel plate to the other with the result that the end of the fuse is exposed for lighting purposes. When a match is applied to one end of the fuse, as shown in Figure 5, the fuse, due to the fact that it is impregnated throughout with substantially inist'antaneously ignitible material, bursts into flame from one end thereof to the other and effects ignition of the side and central portions of the fuel plate. As soon as the side and central portions of the plate are ignited burning spreads throughout the entire plate at a rapid rate and the plate as a whole tends to burn uniformly in such manner that the platen 6 is uniformly heated and effects through the medium of heat transfer a proper and efficient vulcanization ofthe patch l. By embedding the cord formed fuse in a groove so that the top portion thereof is substantially flush with the top face of the plate the fuse offers no objection to stacking the fuel plate with like plates in connection with shipping or packing. Because the groove I3 extends transversely across the fuel plate and the cord formed fuse is coextensive therewith, as shown in the drawing, the ends of the fuse terminate adjacent to the segmental shaped spaces Il) between the sides of the plate and the contiguous or adjacent portions of the side wall 9 of the platen and may, if desired, be readily lighd by inserting a match into such spaces. Since the sides of the spaces I0 are closed any match inserted into the spaces for fuse igniting purposes is protected against extinguishment by wind.

The fuel plate II is assembled with respectto the platen 6 bly pressing the curved' end edges thereof into frictional engagement with the side wall 9 of the platen and urging the plate towards the platen bottom until it comes in contact with the top face of the latter. When it is desired to use the fuel disk and platen for tube vulcanizing purposes the tube t is placed on a suitable support as shown in1 Figure 5, and the platen With the patch 1 t'herebeneath is positioned over the punctured portion of the tube. Thereafter the platen is clamped downwardly against the support by a C-clamp or any other suitable clamping instrumentality and a match is applied to one end of the fuse I2, as shown in Figure 5. As soon as the match is applied to the fuse, the fuse as heretofore described immediately bursts into flame from one end thereof to the other and causes the side and central portions of the fuel plate II to ignite. Substantially immediately upon ignition of these portions the remaining portions of the plate starts toburn. The heat resulting from burning of the plate is transmitted by the platen to the patch and the patch because of the Vulcanizing material therein and in response to the heat conducted thereto by the platen becomes vulcanized.

The herein described fuel plate may be manufactured at a low and reasonable cost and results in an extremely eflicient vulcanization of the patch T in that it burns substantially uniformly throughout due tov the specific form and character of the fuse.

The invention is not to be understood as restricted to the details set forth, since these may be modified within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. As a new article of manufacture, a fuel plate adapted for disposition in a cup-shaped pla-ten with a rubber patch therebeneath and to heat the platen in order to vulcanize said patch and comprising a piece of readily combustible material having an elongated groove in the top face thereof, and a fuse for use in igniting said piece fitting snugly within the groove and extending from one end of the latter to the other and having the top portion thereof substantially flush with the top face of the piece.

2. As a new article of manufacture, a fuel plate adapted for disposition in a cup-shaped platen with a rubber patch therebeneath and to heat the platen in order to vulcanize said patch and comprising a piece of readily combustible material with a groove extending transversely across the top face thereof and from one of its sides to the other, and a fuse for use in igniting said piece tting in and extending lengthwise of the groove and having the ends thereof terminating adjacent to the sides of said piece.

3. As a new article of manufacture, a fuel plate adapted for disposition in a. cup-shaped platen with cylindrical side wall and a rubber patch under its bottom and to heat the platen in order to vulcanize said patch and comprising a piece of readily combustible material having curved or rounded ends for frietional engagement with diametrically opposite portions of the side wall of the platen and substantially straight parallel sides adapted to form segmental match receiving spaces between them and the contiguous portions of said side wall of the platen, and also having in the top face thereof a comparatively shallow groove extending from one side thereof to the other, and a fuse for igniting said piece fitting snugly in and extending lengthwise of the groove and having the ends thereof terminating adjacent to the sides of said piece.

PAUL VAN CLEEF. 

